Post by Administrator on May 31, 2002 11:10:03 GMT -5
A federal appeals panel today struck down a law that required libraries to shield minors from pornographic or otherwise "harmful" content on the Internet.
A three-judge panel in Philadelphia overturned the "Children's Internet Protection Act" (CIPA), a two-year-old law to require public libraries and schools to use Internet filtering software on their computers in order to qualify for millions of dollars in federal funding.
"Any public library that adheres to CIPA's conditions will necessarily restrict patrons' access to a substantial amount of protected speech in violation of the First Amendment," the judges wrote.
The decision is a victory for the American Library Association and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which sued to overturn the law on grounds that it would muzzle constitutionally protected speech.
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A three-judge panel in Philadelphia overturned the "Children's Internet Protection Act" (CIPA), a two-year-old law to require public libraries and schools to use Internet filtering software on their computers in order to qualify for millions of dollars in federal funding.
"Any public library that adheres to CIPA's conditions will necessarily restrict patrons' access to a substantial amount of protected speech in violation of the First Amendment," the judges wrote.
The decision is a victory for the American Library Association and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which sued to overturn the law on grounds that it would muzzle constitutionally protected speech.
More
